Cigarette transfer assembly for transferring cigarettes from a cigarette making machine to a cigarette packaging machine

ABSTRACT

The cigarette transfer assembly is provided with a chute adjacent the forward end of the horizontal conveyor in order to permit sliding of the flow of cigarettes and possible misalignment of the cigarettes due to different diameters along the surface of the cigarettes. A reservoir provided for a surplus of fed cigarettes is activated by two switches which are spaced apart to effect a reliable control of the reservoir in response to fluctuations in the flow of cigarettes supplied to the packaging machine.

United States Patent [191 Van Hall 1 1 Dec. 2, 1975 [75] Inventor: Floyd Van Hall, Durham, N.C.

[73] Assignee: Liggett & Myers Incorporated,

Durham, N.C.

22 Filed: July 25, 1974 211 Appl. No.2 491,622

52 us. cl.v 198/37, 198/45; 198/47 [51] Int. Cl. 865G 43/08 [58] Field of Search 198/37, 76, 46, 40, 31 R, 198/20 C, 26, 25, 47, 45, 56-58, 254; 131/25; 53/148, 236

[56] References Cited 3,665,933 S/l972 Molins et a1 131/25 3,797,639 3/1974 Smith 198/254 X 3,799,324 3/1974 l-lall 198/45 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 791,497 8/1968 Canada 198/40 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Schacher Assistant ExaminerJames M. Slattery Attorney, Agent, or FirmKeny0n & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin [57] ABSTRACT The cigarette transfer assembly is provided with a chute adjacent the forward end of the horizontal conveyor in order to permit sliding of the flow of cigarettes and possible misalignment of the cigarettes due to different diameters along the surface of the cigarettes. A reservoir provided for a surplus of fed cigarettes is activated by two switches which are spaced UNITED STATES PATENTS apart to effect a reliable control of the reservoir in rel,885,892 11/1932 Bronander 198/25 X sponge t flu tuations in the flow of cigarettes sup- 2,745,41O 5/1956 Molins 198/37 X plied to the packaging machine. 3,355,004 11/1967 Rupert 53/236 X 3,608,972 9/1971 Rudszinat v 198/20 C 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures L r 7 w 1 GGQQEWE 7 T 0 199cm fiZQcHM/E c ll lZ flee/4 U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,923,146

.NRRMQQQQ CIGARETTE TRANSFER ASSEMBLY FOR TRANSFERRING CIGARETTES FROM A CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE-TO A CIGARETTE PACKAGING MACHINE This invention relates to a cigarette transfer assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to a cigarette transfer assembly for transferring cigarettes from a cigarette making machine directly to a cigarette packaging machine'on a high speed basis.

Cigarette feed machines have been known, for example, from US Pat. No. 3,799,324 in which a series of cigarettes are fed directly from a cigarette making ma' chine directly to a cigarette packaging machine on a high speed basis. In such feed machines, the cigarettes are fed sequentially from the making machine directly onto a conveyor which in turn feeds the cigarettes onto a horizontal conveyor which operates at a slower speed. This effects a stackingof the cigarettes on the horizontal conveyor. The horizontal conveyor then conveys the cigarettes into a hopper of a cigarette packaging machine.

While the hopper-of the cigarette packaging machine may accommodate a large reserve supply of cigarettes, it is frequently necessary to provide the feed machines with a reservoir means by which an additional reserve supply of cigarettes can be placed. For example, in cases where the cigarette packaging machine is shut down for a short period of time and the making machine is not shut down, reservoir means have been interposed in the path of the cigarettes so as to assume the additionally produced cigarettes without having the cigarette pass to the packaging machine. Generally, during operation of the making and packagingmachines, there are slight changes in the rates of packaging-such that there is an ebb and flow of the cigarettes in the feed machine. As a result, a reservoir system may well operate almost constantly in a backwards and forwards manner order to receive. or expel small amounts of cigarettes. Because of these almost constant fluctuations in the reservoir, the mechanism for operating the reservoir system may well require a greater degree of maintenance over a period of time.

Further, in the case where cigarettes such as filter tips are being processed, conveyance of the filter cigarettes sometimes presents a problem since the filter end of the cigarettes has generally been of a slightly larger diameter than the tobacco barrel portion of the cigarette. Thus, in cases, where. the filter cigarettes are rolled along conveying surfaces, the cigarettes can become misaligned thatis, the cigarettes may turn at an angle relative to the direction of travelout of a 90 relationship to;the. axis of travel; I

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cigarette transferassembly with a means of preventing filter cigarettes from rolling out of alignment.

It is another object of the invention to provide a means of maintaining cigarettes at a 90 relationship with respectto the direction of travel through a cigarette transfer assembly during conveyance between a cigarette making machine and a cigarette packaging machine. j v g It is anotherobject of the invention to eliminate the response of a reservoir means to slight fluctuations in the conveyance rate of cigarettes transfer between a machine.

Briefly, the invention provides a cigarette transfer assembly comprising a first conveyor for conveying a stream of individually spaced apart cigarettes from a cigarette making machine to an elevated position, a second horizontal conveyor for receiving a flow of cigarettes from thefirst conveyor, =a-reservoir means between the first conveyor and the second conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes and for delivering the excess into the flow at a subsequent time'and a chute adjacent a forward end of the horizontal conveyor and downstream of the reservoir for sliding of the cigarette downwardly onto the second conveyor. The chute has a slide surface which is coated with a substance such as polytetrafluorethylene, i.e., Teflon, which has a coefficient" of friction to permit the cigarettes to slide downwardly rather than to roll downwardly under the-forces of gravity. This avoids misalignment of the cigarettes.

The invention further provides a reservoir means which includes an elongated conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes delivered from a cigarette making machine connected to the transfer assembly and a sensing means on an opposite side of the flow of cigarettes from the elongated conveyor. The sensing means is used for sensing a change in the flow rate of the cigarettes between the two conveyors and for activating the reservoir means to either accommodate more cigarettes or to expel stored cigarettes. The sensing means includes a pair of switches located in preset position and a pivotally' mounted plate which is'responsive to changes in the cigarette flow rate between the two conveyors. This plate is positioned between the switches to selectively actuate one of the-switches in response to an increased accumulation of cigarettes in order to activate the elongated conveyor to receive excess cigarettes and to activate the other of the switches in response to a reduced accumulation of cigarettes to activate the conveyor to expel cigarettes. In order to eliminate a spontaneous response to fluctuations in the flow rate, the switches are spaced apart relative to each other and to the plate such that minimal fluctuations in the flow rate need not be detected. For example, where the making machine delivers 5000 cigarettes per minute and the packaging machine packages cigarettes at the same rate, the nominal flow rate on the cigarette transfer assembly would be 5000 cigarettes per minute. The switches are set so that the reservoir means remains inactive to fluctuations of plus or minus cigarettes per minute from the nominal'flow rate of 5000 cigarettes per minute. This decrease in sensitivity allows the flow means to have a longer maintenance life.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of a cigarette transfer assembly constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of thesensing means constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cigarette transfer assembly 10 is mounted and interconnected between a cigarette making machine 11 anda cigarette packaging machine 12in order to transfer cigarettes made in the making machine 11 to the packaging machine 12 for packaging purposes. Both the cigarette making machine 11 and the cigarette packaging machine 12 are of any suitable construction. For example, each machine 11, 12 may be constructed to operate at an output rate of 5000 cigarettes per minute. As shown, the cigarette transfer assembly includes a vertical conveyor l3 for conveying a stream of individually spaced apart cigarettes 14 upwardly from the cigarette making machine to an elevated position. In addition, a horizontal conveyor 15 is connected to the packaging machine 12 in order to receive a flow of cigarettes in a stacked fashion for conveyance to the packaging machine 12. To this end, the horizontal conveyor 15 operates at a slower speed than the vertical conveyor 13 and is independently activated. Also, a reservoir means 16 is located between the elevated position of the vertical conveyor 13 and the horizontal conveyor 15 for receiving excess cigarettes from the flow of cigarettes and for delivering the excess cigarettes into the cigarette flow at a subsequent time. A chute 17 is also provided in the assembly 10 adjacent a forward end of the horizontal conveyor 15 and downstream of the reservoir means 16 for sliding of the flow of cigarettes downwardly onto the horizontal conveyor 15.

The transfer assembly 10 also has a transfer drum 18 at the elevated position of the vertical conveyor 13 in order to transfer the stream of individual cigarettes 14 downwardly towards the chute 17. As shown, the vertical conveyor 13 has, for example, pairs of endless belts 19, 20 (only one of each pair being shown) which convey the stream of cigarettes 14 upwardly. The outermost belts 19, shown to the left in FIG. 1, pass about a pulley 21 adjacent the elevated position of the conveyor 18 and are driven off the making machine 11 in a suitable manner. The endless belts 20 pass around the transfer drum l8 and act as a carrier surface for the cigarettes 14. In addition, an endless belt 22 is passed about various guide pulleys 23 and the transfer drum 18. These belts 22 lay over the stream of cigarettes 14 on the transfer drum I8 and ensure conveyance of the cigarettes about the drum 18.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a suitable guide means 24 is positioned at the exit point of the cigarettes from the transfer drum 18. This guide means 24 serves to guide the cigarettes passing from the drum l8 downwardly towards the chute 17. As shown, the guide means 24 is positioned above the reservoir means 16.

Referring to FIG. 1, the reservoir means 16 includes an endless belt 25 which extends over a pulley 26 at one end and a drive pulley 27 at the opposite end. A motor 28 sereves to drive the drive pulley 27 in a suitable manner such as via a transmission belt 29. In addition, the reservoir means 16 includes a wall 30 secured onto the upper run of the conveyor belt 25 and a pair of upstanding side walls 31, 32. The side walls 31, 32 are spaced apart a distance equal to at least the length of a cigarette being transferred and form an elongated reservoir space with the belt 25. In addition, the walls 31, 32 may be made up of a transparent material so as to permit viewing of the cigarettes in the reservoir means 16. The endless belt 25 is movable between two extreme positions in which the wall 30 is positioned at a point close to the path of the cigarettes passing from the transfer drum 18 to the chute 17 and a position adjacent the end of the reservoir means 16, the right-hand end as viewed in FIG. 1.

Refering to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reservoir means 16 further includes a sensing means 33 on an opposite side of the flow of cigarettes from the wall 30. The sensing means 33 is adapted to sense a change in the flow rate of the cigarettes between the vertical conveyor 13 and the horizontal conveyor 15, and more particularly, between the transfer drum 18 and the chute 17. The sensing means 33 includes a pair of switches 35, 36 which are each fixedly located in a preset position on the frame of the transfer assembly 10 as well as a pivotally mounted plate 37 which is responsive to accomulations of cigarettes between the transfer drum 18 and the chute 17. Each switch 35, 36 is of any suitable construction and each contains a leaf spring 38 which is adapted to activate the switch 35, 36 upon being depressed.

Referring to FIG. 2, the plate 37 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 39 which is centrally located between the switches 35, 36 and which is fixedly secured in the frame of the transfer assembly 10. A lever arm 40 which is in fixed relation to the plate 37 is connected to one end of a coil spring 41 whichis mounted at the opposite end on a pin 42 secured in the frame of the transfer assembly 10. In this way, the spring 41 serves to bias the plate 37 via the lever 40 in a direction towards the wall 30 of the reservoir means 16.

A bracket 43 is also secured about the pivot pin 39 in fixed relation with the plate 37 to pivot with the plate 37. The bracket 43 is mounted to be adjusted by means of two cams 44 so that a neutral position of the plate 37 can be obtained. In addition, each bracket 43 carries a pair of cam blocks 45. Each cam block 45 extends outwardly towards a respective switch 35, 36 and, particularly, towards the leaf spring 38 of each switch. Each cam block 45 is also pivotally mounted on the bracket 43 by means of a bolt 46 and is locked in place by a locking screw 47. The locking screw 47 passes through the cam block 45 and an elongated slot 48 in the bracket 43 so as to permit adjustment of the position of the cam block 45 relative to the bracket 43.

In order to carry out an adjustment of each cam block 45, a suitable adjustment means 49 is provided. As shown, this adjustment means 49 includes a double armed lever 50 which is pivotally mounted about the pin 39. Each arm 51 of the lever 50 is disposed opposite a cam block 45 and has an adjusting screw 52 which passes through the arm 51 to abut the cam block 45. A lock nut 53 is provided on each screw 52 to fix the screw 52 in place on the arm 51.

The plate 37 includes a main leaf 54 which is pivoted about the pin 39 and an adjustable leaf 55 is secured via an adjusting screw device 56 to the main leaf 54. By adjusting the screw device 56, the leaf 55 may be brought closer or further away from the main leaf 54.

Referring to FIG. 1, the chute 17 is inclined downwardly at an angle of about 43 to 46. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the chute 17 has a slide surface 57 which has a coating, for example of Teflon. The coated surface 57 allows the cigarettes to slide down the chute 17 without rolling. That is, the forces imposed on the cigarettes by gravity and otherwise and the coefficient of friction of the slide surface 57 are such that the individual cigarettes are allowed to slide without having a rolling action.

In operation, the cigarette making machine 11 delivers a steady stream of cigarettes 14 to the vertical conveyor 13 of the cigarette transfer assembly 10. The vertical conveyor 13 then carries the cigarettes 14 in a single row to an elevated position at which the transfer drum 18 takes over the cigarettes and directs the cigarettes downwardly into the spaced above the chute 17 and between the sensing plate 37 and the wall 30 of the reservoir means 16. Assuming that the cigarette packaging machine 12 is operating at a rate corresponding to the output rate of the cigarette making machine 11, the cigarettes accumulate and then move downwardly into the mouth of the chute 17 in a mass and slide down the slide surface 57 onto the horizontal conveyor 15. Thereafter, the cigarettes pass into the cigarette packaging machine 12.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cigarettes are allowed to accumulate in the region between the plate 37 of the sensing means 33 and the wall 30 of the reservoir means 16 prior to passage into the chute 17. Thus, the chute 17 is substantially filled with cigarettes. To this end, the chute 19 has a bottom 58 on which the slide surface 57 is formed, a top 59 and a pair of side walls 60 which may be transparent. This confined chute 17 allows the cigarettes to be conveyed in a compact manner. In addition, the lowermost cigarettes, that is the cigarettes sliding on the slide surface 57 move downwardly at about the same rate of speed as the uppermost cigarettes, that is, the cigarettes adjacent the top 59. Thus, only slight stratification of the cigarettes occur within the chute 17. Also, mashing of the cigarettes is reduced. This, in turn, permits the packaging of cigarettes which have substantially uniform round cross-sectional shapes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the leaf 55 which forms a guide for the cigarettes has a bent lower end which serves to guide the downwardly moving cigarette into the chute 17. As shown, the lower end of the leaf 55 extends into the plane of the chute 17 and overlaps the bottom wall 58 of the chute 17.

Should the cigarette packaging machine 12 be slowed or stopped, this would cause the cigarettes to accumulate in the confines of the horizontal conveyor and chute 17. In addition, the cigarettes would also accumulate at a point above the mouth of the chute 17 in the region between the plate 37 and the wall 30 of the reservoir. This accumulation would then cause the plate 37 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2. This, in turn, causes a bracket 43 which is mounted on the pin 39 to also rotate in a counterclockwise fashion. In this way, the lower cam block 45 is moved against the leaf spring 38 of the switch 35. Continued pivoting of the plate 37 and of the bracket 43 causes the leaf spring 38 to depress over a distance sufficient to actuate the switch 35. The switch 35 then activates the motor 28 of the reservoir means 16 to cause the belt (FIG. 1) to move in a clockwise fashion and, thus, to cause the wall to move to the right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. This, in turn, allows the reservoir to accommodate an increased amount of cigarettes. Thus, the excess cigarettes being delivered from the cigarette making machine 11 can be easily accommodated.

Should the cigarette packaging machine 12 operate at a faster speed than the cigarette making machine 1 l, a reduction in the number of cigarettes would occur between the drum l8 and chute 17. Thus, the plate 37 of the sensing means 33 would pivot in a clockwise manner as viewed in FIG. 2. This, in turn, would cause a similar rotation of the bracket 43 such that the upper cam block 45 would depress the leaf spring 38 into the switch 36. The switch 36 would cause the motor 28 to activate the belt 25 so that the wall 30 is moved towards the plate 37. This, in turn, would expel any cigarettes which have been accumulated in the reservoir into the mouth of the chute 17.

Referring to FIG. 2, the amount of pivoting of the cam blocks 45 and of the leaf spring 38 is such as to preclude an instaneous response of the switches 35, 36 to a sensed fluctuation in the cigarette flow. That is, the switches 35, 36 are to be activated only after the plate 37 has moved a substantial distance. For example, the sensing means 33 may be set to respond to fluctuations of plus or minus cigarettes per minute in the flow rate of the cigarettes. On a percentage basis, the amount of fluctuation permitted before actuation of the switches 35, 36 is about 4 of the output rate of the cigarette making machine 11. Further, because each cam block 45 is independently adjustable, the time delay for the respective switches 35, 36 can also be adjusted so that one switch may respond slower or faster than the other.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigarette transfer assembly comprising a first vertical conveyor for conveying a stream of individually spaced apart cigarettes upwardly to an elevated position;

a second horizontal conveyor for receiving a flow of cigarettes from said first conveyor; reservoir means extending from between said elevated position of said first conveyor and said second conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes from said flow of cigarettes and for delivering the excess cigarettes into said flow at a subsequent time, said reservoir means including an elongated conveyor extending transversely from the flow of the cigarettes, said conveyor being expandable transversely of the flow of the cigarettes to said second conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes thereon and a sensing means on an opposite side of said flow of cigarettes from said elongated conveyor for sensing a change in the flow rate of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors, said sensing means including a pair of switches located in preset position and a pivotally mounted plate responsive to changes in the flow rate of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors, each said switch being operatively connected to said elongated conveyor to activate said elongated conveyor, said plate being positioned between said switches to selectively activate one of said switches in response to an accumulation of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors to activate said elongaed conveyor to receive excess cigarettes and the other of the said switches in response to a reduced accumulation of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors to activate said elongated conveyor to expel cigarettes. 

1. A cigarette transfer assembly comprising a first vertical conveyor for conveying a stream of individually spaced apart cigarettes upwardly to an elevated position; a second horizontal conveyor for receiving a flow of cigarettes from said first conveyor; a reservoir means extending from beTween said elevated position of said first conveyor and said second conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes from said flow of cigarettes and for delivering the excess cigarettes into said flow at a subsequent time, said reservoir means including an elongated conveyor extending transversely from the flow of the cigarettes, said conveyor being expandable transversely of the flow of the cigarettes to said second conveyor for receiving excess cigarettes thereon and a sensing means on an opposite side of said flow of cigarettes from said elongated conveyor for sensing a change in the flow rate of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors, said sensing means including a pair of switches located in preset position and a pivotally mounted plate responsive to changes in the flow rate of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors, each said switch being operatively connected to said elongated conveyor to activate said elongated conveyor, said plate being positioned between said switches to selectively activate one of said switches in response to an accumulation of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors to activate said elongaed conveyor to receive excess cigarettes and the other of the said switches in response to a reduced accumulation of cigarettes between said first and second conveyors to activate said elongated conveyor to expel cigarettes. 